This project explores how design can enhance group therapy discussions and foster empathy among outpatient addiction patients. Using design probes and the six principles of design empathy, a tool was developed to visualize weekly activities, aligning with patients' emotional states, and facilitating group discussions. It offers eight recommendations: four to enhance dialogue and four to foster empathy. The study demonstrates how design can strengthen therapy for both patients and therapists.It provided me with my first insights into participatory and empathic design, steering my specialization towards more design thinking methods to develop a deeper understanding of stakeholder needs.

 

It showed me how stakeholders' perspectives differ in a design: when patients don’t or misuse the design, designers blame the design, while it gives therapists insights into their patients’ behaviors, highlighting the importance of involving both perspectives in design decisions.